[It wasn't a dream. It was real.]
The voice was calm and soothing, yet at the same time, there was an air of authority and finality to it. It was as if it were speaking directly into my mind, bypassing my ears entirely.
My eyes widened, and a jolt of panic coursed through my body.
I looked around the classroom frantically, searching for the source of the voice, thinking that it must be some sort of prank. But, nobody was laughing. In fact, everyone seemed oblivious to the voice.
Then I looked behind, at Jake, but he just continued to work on his assignment, showing no signs of hearing the voice.
It wasn't him too. It was just...
'Me?' I thought to myself.
[Yeah,.]
The voice responded, confirming my suspicions.
I stared at my palms, perplexed.
Fuck!
It looks like it is inside my mind.
[Yes and No.]
This time it's confirmation sent a shiver down my spine.
"W-who are you? How did you get in my mind?" I stammered.
It couldn't be...
It just couldn't be...
It just couldn't be, right?
That was too ridiculous.
"Are you a... Demon?" I whispered.
Suddenly, a cacophony of laughter resounded in my head. It was a strange, distorted sound as if a hundred people were laughing simultaneously.
[A demon? Do I really sound like a demon?] the voice spoke, the amusement clear in its tone.
"N-no, I just..." My words were cut short, my voice trailing off.
'What the hell was happening?'
[Relax. I am not a demon. In fact, I am not a living being, to begin with,] the voice replied, its tone calming.
"Then, what are you? What do you want from me?" I asked, still not fully comprehending the situation.
[I am a system. More specifically, the system that has revived you,] the voice spoke, its words resonating deep within me.
'What the f*ck! I don't understand anything.'
"A system?" I echoed, confused.
A system huh? Now I am sure that someone is playing a prank on me.
The system is just a fictional thing.
Even in novels, they are used as a gimmick to make the MC OP.
And even then, most of the times, they are not even that powerful.
Forget about making the MC OP, the MCs can even die.
I know, I have read many novels.
And, now it's happening to me?
What the f*ck?
Is this a joke?
If it is, then it's not funny at all.
It is going a bit too far.
If just I can block my ears then maybe the voice will go away.
I pressed my hands on my ears and closed my eyes.
'Go away, go away, go away...'
But the voice persisted, its words penetrating my consciousness despite my attempts to silence it.
[What are you doing? It won't do a jacksh*t. I am inside your head, you know?] the voice spoke, the amusement returning to its tone.
'Whatever, just go away!'
[OK, if you don't believe me then I will give you proof. Open your eyes slowly. And remember, don't jump!]
Wait... What if the voice is telling the truth?
No, no, no, it can't be true.
It just can't.
But...
Just for the sake of knowing the truth, I decided to open my eyes.
As my eyelids fluttered open, a scene unfolded before me that I would never have imagined possible.
Words and numbers floated in the air, their forms shifting and changing. It was as if a screen from a manga had come to life, hovering right in front of me.
'WHAT THE F*CK?'
[Now don't jump or else—]
I instinctively stood up in a panic, knocking over the chair in the process.
The noise alerted the other students, and they all turned to look at me, confusion and concern painted on their faces.
"What the hell, man?" Jake muttered, staring at me incredulously.
"Do you want to solve this question?" The teacher approached, her eyes narrowed.
'S-sh*t.'
"Come here and show me how you do it." The teacher continued, pointing toward the whiteboard.
'Ah, damn it.'
I got up from my seat, and with a sigh, made my way to the front of the class, my face flushed with embarrassment.
And when I took a closer look at the problem written on the whiteboard,
'What the hell?'
It was an unsolvable question.
There was no solution.
Because it was mathematics. The one and only thing I hated in this world.
"Well, are you not going to answer the question?" The teacher asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
I could feel the weight of the gaze of the rest of the students on me, and my heart started beating faster.
I had always hated being put on the spot like this, and now I was being asked to solve an unsolvable problem.
'F*cking math!'
OK, I have to calm down.
I need to take a deep breath.
One.
Two.
Three.
I got a system, so maybe, just maybe, it could help me with this problem.
'System, are you there?'
...
...
...
No response.